I have learned a lot, and I mean A LOT about health and fitness in the last 6 months. (Can you think of any reason why my brain would need something to fixate on for the last 6 months?? Anywhooo.) Health and fitness has always been something I’ve been interested in, but it’s been a slow start for me. While I grew up with many healthy habits instilled in me, I was never athletic in school. I didn’t have a foundation that taught me how to fuel my body for different physical activities.
I’d say I’ve really only embraced my own health and fitness routine within the last year. It’s involved a lot of trial and error, lots of setbacks, and what feels like sifting through mountains of information. At this point, I’m still a student of the fitness lifestyle, but some recent breakthroughs in my mindset have cemented the commitment to my health.
So maybe you’re where I was at a year ago, wondering “how on earth do I do this health and fitness-y thing? Let alone make it into a routine?” I’m sure you have a lot of research ahead of you, but to give you a head start here’s what I’ve learned:
Start Where You Are Comfortable
When I was at college I would go to the fitness center, but I was too scared to go in the weight room. When I got my first gym membership outside school, I had so much anxiety on the gym tour I left immediately afterward because I felt so out of place. In fact, for the first month of my membership, I barely did anything more than 10 minutes on the treadmill before leaving.
I think many people start off feeling like this. You feel like you have no idea what you are doing and want to shrink away instead of risk looking like an idiot. That’s ok! What’s important is that you continue to push yourself a little bit at the time. Many people prefer to do home work outs, or group classes, or outdoor activities. Start where you’re comfortable and branch out from there.
If you’re going to the gym, specifically the weight room, I would highly recommend going with a friend who already knows what they’re doing. When I tagged along on my gym-rat friend’s membership, my confidence definitely grew! Pretty soon, I realized I had no reason to be self conscious because no one was even looking at me to begin with.
Don’t Try Everything at Once
There is SO MUCH information out there about health, fitness, and nutrition. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, or if you’re like me, overindulge in all the information out there. You’ll want to be careful for sure, since there can be so many “health trends” or “fitness trends” that get SUPER popular all at once. You may notice a trend pops up randomly once, and suddenly all your friends are on the keto diet. 😛
The problem with some healthy/fitness/wellness trends out there is that they are not all thoroughly vetted by science right away. It may just be too soon to tell if something is actually beneficial in the long term for your health. It is perfectly fine to try different things on your fitness journey. You’ll probably have to try several different things until you find what you love and what works for you. Just try to implement one or two new things at a time and give your body time to respond.
Another reason to not try to do everything at once is that you need to learn to create habits. It takes 21 days of doing something for your brain to make it a habit. If that’s how long it takes, can you imagine how hard your brain would have to work if you crammed 4-5 new things into those 21 days? When people get excited they want to do it all, and that’s understandable. But slowly implementing new habits will set you up for success in the long run.
Allow Yourself To Experiment
Just because you start something doesn’t mean you are married to it. You are allowed to change up your fitness routine as often as you like! In fact, I think one of the most fun parts about a health and fitness journey is trying new things. You won’t learn what works best for you if you never change your routine.
I have gone through seasons where I have been married to certain foods (cottage cheese, I’m looking at you!) However, cycling through different foods allowed me to try new things I love. I love experimenting with food, maybe because I get bored after a while. You’ll also be able to see how your body responds to different foods.
(BTW, I have a food Instagram! You can follow along on my food adventures here.)
I’ve experimented with counting calories, counting macros, not counting at all, etc. Each of these have taught me something about nutrition and fueling my body that I wouldn’t learn otherwise. While you can always find negative things out there about these methods, they may be worth trying. If you look at them as a teaching tool, you’ll certainly find the benefits of whatever you try.
Incorporate Foods You Love
One of the hardest things about being healthy is going on a restrictive diet. They’re the worst! Also, they aren’t necessary! Right from the beginning of my fitness journey I made the decision to look for sustainable habits. I wasn’t interested in cutting anything out of my diet, and to this day I still haven’t. This doesn’t mean I’m against experimenting (how else could you find out if you have an intolerance?) But if you decide one day you’ll never eat bread again, even though you love it, you’ll be miserable!
Do you love pizza? Find a pizza recipe that supports your goals. Or make time to have your favorite pizza each week so it’s not demonized in your mind. Find place in your routine to enjoy a yummy dessert, or drinks with friends. One of my favorite things to find a healthy alternative to normally indulgent food. (like chicken alfredo made with zoodles or mug cakes made with protein power.). Get creative!
Keep Yourself Accountable
There is this myth out there in health and wellness industry that you need other people to keep you accountable. This is simply not true. If you are relying on other people to keep your health and fitness routine in check, you’re not doing it for the right reason. Your healthy and fitness routine is for you, and you only. Everything you do should be out of love for yourself rather than fear of disappointing others. Not that there is anything wrong with having someone to check in with, like a coach or personal trainer. But ultimately, you will be hiring their services to add to your routine, not to be your routine.
I loved having a gym buddy because I got to see a level of dedication that I could aspire to. Going to the gym with a friend challenged me to work out more often and get out of my comfort zone. I love going to fitness classes that I never would have thought of going to on my own. However, I choose to incorporate these things out of excitement in adding to my routine rather than outside pressure.
Looking for more items to add to your health and fitness routine? Check out this post:
10 (Super Easy) Healthy Habits That Changed My Life
